News & positions

Leading EU brands call for Single Market to be maintained as legal base for PPWR to drive the Circular Economy

Brussels, 17 April 2023 – Today AIM, the European Brands Association, co-signed with more than other 120 industry associations a joint statement calling for the preservation of the Single Market legal basis (Article 114 TFEU) under the European Commission’s proposal for a Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).

The European Commission’s decision to transform the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive into a Regulation is a necessary step for the achievement of a truly EU circular economy. This must rely on a robust Single Market, as circular economy solutions require scale for investment and roll-out to achieve these goals. The maintenance of the Single Market legal basis and the achievement of maximum harmonization of the PPWR measures is also paramount to put an end to the current fragmentation of the EU internal market due to a patchwork of the divergent national legislations adopted over the past years, which have negatively affected consumers, environmental protection and the competitiveness of the European industry.

The introduction of the environmental protection legal basis (Article 192 TFEU) for some or all the Articles of the PPWR would only exacerbate the current fragmentation of the single market, hindering the free movement of goods across the EU and increasing the legal uncertainty for companies that are investing to transition towards a circular and climate-neutral economy. Thus, we call on EU policymakers to maintain the single market legal basis in the proposal, as well as aim for a maximum harmonisation of the rules to ensure the achievement of the objectives set out in the PPWR proposal. 

Joint Industry Statement on PPWR Single Market Legal Basis